


It's Gonna Be a Long Night

by msdaphne



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Gen, RPF i guess but not the creepy kind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-23 11:03:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12505964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msdaphne/pseuds/msdaphne
Summary: This is old news, but it's been bugging me for months and I just want to get it off my chest before TLJ comes out. It's about the fact that Poe was originally supposed to die. It bugs me because I don't want to think that Poe's 1000% genuine queerness that is definitely, totally going to be canon was, like, an afterthought. It just seems so deep and organic and real, you know? So this is my own personal little retcon: A lost scene from the original rough script.





	It's Gonna Be a Long Night

 

* * *

 

Characters: Finn, BB-8, unnamed Resistance Wing Commander (WC)

Setting: Resistance Base, D'Qar

The _Millenium Falcon_ and the Resistance fleet have just returned from the battle of Takodana.

 

Chewie has been led off to medical, and Han and Leia have rushed to the command center, leaving Finn and BB-8 at the top of the ramp. Finn looks around: X-wings are landing, ground crew rushing up to check and prep them for the next battle. BB-8 makes a long bleep that sounds both sad and excited, and rolls past Finn, almost knocking him over. Finn watches as BB-8 races to a pilot disembarking from a particularly badass looking X-wing.

The pilot drops to one knee, smiling, throwing his arms around BB-8. He looks up at the _Falcon_ , smiling ear to ear, and then back at something BB-8 says. His smile fails, and then grief seizes his face. He falls to both knees, head on BB-8's dome, weeping. Another soldier is at his side in a moment, hugging him; they cry together.

Friends of [RS], Finn realizes. [the Resistance Spy, who died in the crash] He suddenly feels terribly conspicuous, standing out here alone. He wants to apologize to them, but now isn't the time. And he needs help, needs to find Solo and someone in charge.

It's too late, BB-8 is pointing him out; they're looking at him. The grieving pilot approaches him.

[WC]: You must be Finn.

Finn nods.

[WC]: (shakes Finn's hand) [WC]. BB-8 told me what happened.

Finn: (is about to try to apologize)

[WC]: (passionately earnest) _Thank you._

Finn: (shakes his head) But-

[WC]: (grasps Finn by the shoulders) You rescued [RS]. You _completed his mission._

Finn glances worriedly at BB-8, clearly there had been a terrible misunderstanding.

Finn: No, listen! (grips [WC]'s elbows) We were shot down! (sorrowfully) [RS], he - he didn't make it. I'm so sorry.

[WC]: You don't understand. (tear-stained, he looks fiercely into Finn's eyes) Because of you, he died _free_. And I will never, ever be able to thank you enough for that.

Finn is awed. He looks around the base. Almost everyone is in uniform, and they are working frantically, but they're also stopping to touch one another, to hug one another. [WC] isn't the only one crying. Is this what freedom looks like?

[WC] smooths his hands over [RS]'s jacket, gripping the lapels, running his thumbs over the leather.

Finn: Oh! (starts to pull the jacket off)

[WC] shakes his head, pulls the jacket back on, pats Finn on the shoulder.

[WC]: You keep that. _Remember_  him. (fresh tears spring up) Welcome to the Resistance, Finn.

Finn glances down; he doesn't directly address the welcome.

Finn: [WC], I- I need help.

 

* * *

 

J.J. Abrams stared at the script. It was late, and he had a big decision to make. There was a knock on the door, and his trusted assistant Morgan Dameron entered.

"Why the long face, boss?"

"Well, there's good news and bad news," he smiled ruefully.

"Bad news first?"

"We might have to ditch my favorite scene." He handed her the section.

"Friggin' dinosaurs. What if you just take out the part about them being married, let people put it together on their own, maybe in one of the books-"

"No, no. It's not that."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, we were going to have to do that anyway. But that's not it."

"So...?"

J.J. smiled. "Well, that's the good news." He explained that Oscar wanted the part of the spy, but had reservations about being killed _again_.

"Hm. He's got a point."

"Yeah. We'll make this work."

"Well, it's great, right? If he lives, it means they can be onscreen together, and-"

"No. Number one, no way will they let us have that. And number two, the formula is a trio. It's what people expect, it's what the studio wants. Heck, it's what  _I_ want."

"Hm."

"But I'm just really attached to the Wing Commander character. We had all these ideas about him being a victory baby and Leia's protegé. And that's before we even get to him being the first openly gay character to appear on screen." He sighed heavily.

Morgan frowned at the script.

"Well, actually."

J.J. raised an eyebrow.

"Technically," she continued.

"Go on."

"According to _this_ , he's not. Not the first openly gay character to appear on screen."

"He's not?"

"No. The spy is."

J.J. blinked. And blinked again.

"Oh. Shit."

"Yeah."

"And we were gonna."

"Yeah."

"We were gonna kill him twenty minutes into the movie."

"Yeah."

He exhaled slowly. Took off his glasses and pinched his nose. They stared down at the table in silence for a few minutes, and then slowly turned to one another.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

They grinned at one another.

"Can you get someone to get us some coffee?"

"Right away."

"It's gonna be a long night."

"Nah. You got this, boss."

J.J. smiled.

"I've got a phone call to make."

 

* * *

 


End file.
